Each year, municipal, county and state government agencies spend thousands of dol­lars to clean up litter from the streets and highways of Georgia. Individuals who litter cause harm to the beauty of the state and impact the health, welfare and safety of others.

It is unlawful to dump, deposit, throw or leave litter on any public or private property in the State of Georgia, or any waters in the State of Georgia.

• “Litter” means all sand, gravel, slag, brick bats, rubbish, waste material, tin cans, refuse, garbage, trash, dead animals or discarded materials of every kind and description;
• “Public or private property” means the right-of-way of any road or highway, any body of water or watercourse of the shores or beaches thereof, any park, playground, building refuge or conservation or recreation area and residential or farm properties, timberlands or forest.

Whenever litter is thrown, deposited, or dropped from any motor vehicle, the operator of the vehicle shall have violated the Litter Control Law. All Georgia law enforcement agencies are authorized to enforce compliance of the Litter Control Law.

Georgia’s Litter Control Law classifies littering as damage to property. A conviction under this law is considered a misdemeanor in Georgia. Persons convicted of this law may be assessed a fine up to $1000 and a 12 month jail term. In addition, if convicted of littering, a judge could order the convicted person to pick up and remove litter from any designated area.